9 May 2023

This month’s featured artist is Mary Jane Evans, an art facilitator and ceramic artist based in Bath. 

Please could you introduce yourself and what you do for Creativity Works? 

My name is Mary-Jane Evans and I have had my studio here in Bath for the last 20 years. I ended up in Bath after taking up an artist residency at Kingswood school where I was based for two years after graduating from my degree in ceramics as a mature student at University for the Creative Arts, Farnham. During that time, I discovered I was dyslexic which made sense of why I had always underachieved at school which I hated. 

I have taught at a variety of places including Age (UK), The Society for Disabled Artists, Action on Hearing Loss, The Wellbeing College, and various schools, one to one tuition and the Early Intervention Team at the RUH. 

I started working with Creativity Works a few years ago and facilitate workshops with them at Bath Artists’ Studios. At present I am artist facilitator with a group called Get Creative with Nature which runs on Monday afternoons. I also facilitated workshops as part of the Fresh Art @ Project for patients and staff on the ward at Hillview Lodge at the RUH last autumn. 

 

What have been the highlights of your career so far? 

One early career highlight of my ceramic career was when I was living in Dorset and studying a weekly City & Guilds Course at Poole College of Art. An absolutely life changing moment was winning a bursary of £10,000 to set up my own ceramic workshop, which I did in my garage. With the encouragement and support of my tutor, Louise, I applied to study for a degree and took up a place at University for the Creative Arts in Farnham, leaving my job as a physiotherapy technician and taking the plunge. 

Since then, I have won several prizes and each one has been a highlight. Prices I have won include: 

• Winner of the Pangolin Prize for Sculpture at Royal West of England Academy Autumn Exhibition 2016 – work cast in bronze by Pangolin Foundry 
• Bristol Guild of Craftsmen Award for best 3D work at Victoria Art Gallery 2014 – work bought for the Ken Stradling collection, Bristol. 
• Bristol Guild of Craftsmen Award for 3D work at Victoria Art Gallery 2010 

• Winner of The International Takifuji Art Award – Trip to Japan – Exhibition in Tokyo and cash prize – 2004 
• Gold Medal of Excellence awarded by City & Guilds 1999 
• Winner City & Guilds ‘Futures 100’ competition receiving £10,000 bursary 1999 
• Medal of Excellence City & Guilds 1999  

 

Winning these prizes has given me a huge thrill. In addition, when I successfully applied for the Royal Academy of Art Summer Exhibition, I had to pinch myself to believe I was there. It was quite a day! Whenever anyone buys a piece of my work, I am incredibly happy that this person likes my work enough to part with their hard-earned cash. 

 

 

Could you please describe your career path to date?

After leaving my residency I realised I enjoyed and felt passionate about teaching other people about the joys of clay. To that end I continued teaching and started exhibiting my work too. I have my studio which is my sanctuary, my workplace, my happy place and the support of a community of like-minded artists at Bath Artists’ Studios. I have gravitated towards teaching people with more specific needs and find this one of the most rewarding aspects of my work right now. It gives me great pleasure watching people create a unique piece of artwork that they possibly think they could not do when they entered the class.

What is important to me in my own work is pushing the boundaries, pushing materials to extremes and experimentation. Inspiration comes from many places including the Jurassic coast, architecture, urban destruction.

This my artist statement which explains what drives my work.

My work is driven by a variety of intense processes to illustrate my childhood experiences, urban destruction, found objects. From the landscape of Dorset and the south coast to my inner self and life experiences ‘pushing materials to extremes is fundamental to my work.’ I use exciting and unpredictable techniques combining porcelain, slate, corrosive materials and minerals, using the kiln as a time machine to scar and erode my pieces. I take risks to tell the stories that speak to me from the conduit of my heart that leads me through my memories to my inner life. The world in which I live and wish to discuss and share through my work.

Porcelain has become an important part of my process due to its purity, fragility and strength. An anomaly. I make my own paper porcelain clay so am involved in the making of the clay I work with. I work intuitively, the work evolving as I play.

I am a member of the Bath Society of Artists and during lockdown was accepted as a Royal West of England Artists’ Network Member. I am also a member of these associations

Crafts Council, Axis-Web, West Country Potters, Cotswold Sculpture Association.

Artists’ Newsletter, Bristol Creatives, Arts Awards Teacher to Bronze/Silver level.

 

What advice would you give freelancers looking to work in arts and wellbeing? 

My advice would be to engage with different groups until you find a niche that really works for you. Learn as much as you can through online courses, courses provided locally – I have attended a number hosted by Creativity Works over the years which have been invaluable. Keep at it!  

 

Where can our readers follow your career and work? 

Instagram:  @maryjanevans 

Facebook:  Mary-Jane Evans Ceramic Artist 

www.maryjaneevansceramics.com